Occupy protest to take place on UW-Whitewater campus

WHITEWATER  Three state legislators are expected to speak at Occupy Whitewater on Thursday, where university and community groups say they'll join the nationwide protest over wealth disparity and corporate influence in politics.

The event, held at the south library mall on UW-Whitewater's campus, will come just days after state groups officially begin recall efforts against Gov. Scott Walker.

Sen. Jon Erpenbach and Reps. Andy Jorgensen and Peter Barca will speak at the event, and a "teach-in" is scheduled to address student debt and labor history.

"From Wall Street to Main Street, we are demanding a greater political voice and a more equitable and just economy," professor James Hartwick wrote in a news release. "Small business and everyday citizens are uniting against corporate welfare, tax breaks and bailouts for the rich, (and) undue political influence by multinational corporations."

The Occupy movement spread this fall to hundreds of communities across America, largely as a protest against economic inequality. The Whitewater protest will begin at 3 p.m. Thursday, and participants are being asked to stay overnight to continue the protest into Friday.

Hartwick said it's difficult to tell how many people will attend or brave the overnight temperatures in tents and sleeping bags. About two dozen people have expressed interest in sleeping at the site, he said.

State legislators will address the crowd at about 5:15 p.m. Erpenbach is scheduled to speak at 7 p.m. at the Timmerman Auditorium in Hyland Hall.

Organizers plan to have a booth were people can sign petitions to recall Walker.